Back From the Past
by tuna-booboo
Summary: Jesse's new girlfriend moves to L.A. with a few surprises from the past.
1. Jesse's New Friend

Disclaimer- I do not own the characters of Jesse Travis, Mark Sloan, Amanda Bentley, Steve Sloan, or any other character that may appear on the CBS television series, Diagnosis Murder. Teresa Chingas is a character created by Lee Goldberg of his Diagnosis Murder books, which I highly recommend. Kaitlin Everling, Jenny Everling, and Frank Krumble were made up entirely by me. Also, because I have only been in L.A. for two layovers in LAX, I have no clue whether or not there is a restaurant in Malibu called Kramer's. I just needed a name, and Seinfeld happened to be on.  
  
Summary- Jesse's new girlfriend moves to L.A. with a few surprises from the past.  
  
Back From The Past  
  
Chapter 1- Jesse's New Friend  
  
Jesse Travis threw his sandals in the back seat of his car, and grabbed his surfboard. It felt great to take a break from working in the hospital E.R. and the restaurant that he co-owned, BBQ Bob's. As he ran towards the waves, he thought about the unexpected turns his life was taking. He had just met his new girlfriend, a twenty-year-old who was going to nursing school. She had dark wavy hair, and a huge smile. She was the first woman he had felt this comfortable with since his ex-girlfriend, Susan Hilliard had moved to Oregon.  
As he coasted over waves, Jesse fondly remembered the day they met, almost a month earlier. He was working the counter at BBQ Bobs, when she walked in. She looked over the counter, and saw him.  
"Do you know how I can get to Community General Hospital?" she had asked. Could she have come to a better place? Jesse thought.  
"Sure, I know. I work there. If you'd like I could take you over when my business partner arrives. It shouldn't be more than twenty minutes." Jesse said. "Could I buy you some lunch?" The woman looked at him with wonder, but agreed quickly. "Do you usually buy lunch for complete strangers?" she asked when Jesse brought her a hamburger with French fries.  
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said with a laugh, "I'm Jesse Travis."  
"Kaitlin Everling," she said, shaking his hand. "So, Mr. Travis, what do you do at Community General?"  
"Actually, I'm a doctor. I co-own the restaurant with my friend. He's a cop," Jesse explained. As if on cue, Lt. Steve Sloan had opened the door and come into the restaurant. The familiar noises and smells of the BBQ Bob's lunch rush met him. As he hung up his jacket, Steve looked around and counted the customers. There were fifteen, counting the girl sitting at the counter with Jesse. He walked over to relieve the doctor of his grilling responsibilities.  
"Hey, Steve. This is Kaitlin Everling. Kaitlin, Lt. Steve Sloan." Jesse said, getting his lab coat from under the counter. "She's a nursing student. I'm taking her over to the hospital."  
Steve saw something in the girl's face that he recognized, and he couldn't shake the feeling of de-ja-vou that he felt when Jesse and his new friend were leaving.  
  
Jesse grabbed his towel, and started jogging back towards his car. He hopped in and drove over to his apartment to get ready for his date. He felt that he was taking a big step by introducing Kaitlin to the rest of his friends, especially since he thought so highly of Amanda Bentley and Mark Sloan's opinions.  
Jesse picked up Kaitlin at her place at six-thirty on the dot. As Jesse drove out to the fancy restaurant, they fiddled with the radio dial, trying to find goofy songs to sing along with. Once they found an oldies station, that wasn't hard. Meanwhile, at a new restaurant in Malibu, called Kramer's, Mark and Steve were waiting for Amanda and Jesse. Steve had found himself thinking about the girl more and more, but he could not place her. Jesse pulled into a parking spot between Amanda's Explorer and Mark's Jaguar. He walked around the car, straightening his tie, and helped Kaitlin out of the car. He felt increasingly nervous as they went inside, but as the evening wore on, he was pleased with everyone's responses to Kaitlin. Everyone's opinions, that is, except for Steve's. Something was bugging the cop, but he was trying to hide it. Jesse could tell that Mark and Amanda noticed it too. After dinner, they retreated to Mark's beach house for coffee. Everyone tried to make Kaitlin feel at home, and she even felt comfortable enough to answer some questions about herself.  
"Where are you from?" Amanda asked.  
"I've spent most of my life in Wisconsin. We lived about twenty minutes away from the little town of Eagle River, on the South Twin Lake. This has been a big adjustment for me."  
"The weather?"  
"Well, there's that, and the people are much friendlier here. And the buildings are so tall." Kaitlin answered with a laugh.  
"What made you so interested in medicine?" Mark asked.  
"When I was a little girl I broke my arm, and my aunt, who is a nurse, splinted it until we could get to the hospital. She was so calm about it, too. I wanted to be just like her."  
"Judging from what Jesse tells me, you're well on your way," Mark said.  
"I used to hear about you on the news sometimes," Kaitlin said. "The incident I remember most was when the hospital blew up. My mom got really upset, and she turned off the TV."  
"It sounds like you had a pretty happy life in Wisconsin. What made you come out to L.A.?" Jesse asked.  
"Well, my mother grew up out here, but she moved when she got pregnant with me. Last summer I found an old box of letters in our attic. They were letters to my mom from her sister, who lived here until she moved to Oregon a couple of years ago. These letters gave me a few clues to help me. I keep them in a shoebox under my bed. I've probably read them a million times, trying to find something that will help me find my father, but I'm still getting nowhere.  
"I know that my mom met my dad when he came back from serving in Vietnam. They dated for awhile, but I don't know when or why they broke up. She never even says his name. Only that he was a close friend of my Aunt's boyfriend. Another clue was Community General."  
"You know, Mark's a pretty good detective, maybe he could help you out," Amanda suggested.  
"It's a wild goose chase, Dr. Bentley. I'll probably never find him. I just figured that I could work in a place where he might have once been."  
"Even if it is a fruitless investigation, at least it will keep Mark from meddling in Steve's cases." Jesse said, getting a laugh from his fellow doctors. Steve was sitting thoughtfully, sipping his decaf. Amanda glanced at her watch.  
"I'd better go and relieve my babysitter," she said. After everyone left, Mark carried the dishes into the kitchen, and loaded them into his dishwasher. When he came back into the living room, Steve was still sitting on the couch, staring out the window.  
"Is something wrong, Son?" Mark asked, sitting down beside him.  
"It's just that something about that girl has been bugging me since Jesse introduced her to me at Bob's. She looks so familiar, but I just can't figure it out." Steve said.  
"Is that a big deal?"  
"Well, not really, but I just wish I knew. She could be someone I arrested before."  
"Jesse, believe it or not, can take care of himself," Mark said. Steve stayed silent. "Well, try to get some sleep." 


	2. Questions and Answers

Disclaimer- I do not own the characters of Jesse Travis, Mark Sloan, Amanda Bentley, Steve Sloan, or any other character that may appear on the CBS television series, Diagnosis Murder. Teresa Chingas is a character created by Lee Goldberg of his Diagnosis Murder books, which I highly recommend. Kaitlin Everling, Jenny Everling, and Frank Krumble were made up entirely by me. Also, because I have only been in L.A. for two layovers in LAX, I have no clue whether or not there is a restaurant in Malibu called Kramer's. I just needed a name, and Seinfeld happened to be on.  
  
Back From The Past  
  
Chapter 2- Questions and Answers  
  
The next day Amanda was standing over the corpse of Frank Krumble. He was a victim of a four car pile up on the freeway. As Amanda tried to assess the cause of death, Jesse pressed her for her opinion of Kaitlin, until Amanda sent him out of the pathology lab. He went to find Mark. He wanted more than "She's-a-very-nice-girl-now-get-out-of-my-path-lab-before- you-become-the-cadaver."  
"Thank you, Nurse Chingas, just administer those antibiotics, and that will be all," Mark said to the nurse who had been assisting him in trauma two. "Hi, Jesse," he said cheerfully.  
"Hey Mark. So what did you think of Kaitlin?" Jesse said.  
"Very smooth, Jesse, very smooth," Mark said with a chuckle. "I thought she was a very nice girl. I hope I can help her find her father. If you two come over for dinner, I'll pick up some ribs, and we can go over those letters she was talking about, see if we can find any more clues."  
  
"Could this be important?" Kaitlin said, pointing to one of the letters. "'Kaitlin's father is my boyfriend's best friend. I don't understand why you keep this secret. He's really a great guy, very loyal. I hate standing beside him knowing your secret, and not being able to tell him. I wish you would just tell him the truth.'" Mark took the letter and read the words for himself.  
"What's the date on that one?" Jesse asked.  
"March 15, 1999," Mark read.  
"Well, this one is from the following October. 'I can't stand this anymore. I am leaving L.A., maybe for good. I'll send you my mailing address as soon as I get one. Love, Your Sister.'"  
"They never signed their names, only 'your sister'," Kaitlin noted, pulling a loose strand of hair out of her face. "That's very frustrating sometimes."  
"They must have a pretty strong bond," Mark said.  
"Very strong. My aunt is always visiting us. She even invited me to spend next weekend with her. If I'm lucky, maybe I can coax some more clues out of her."  
The three continued reading the letters until Steve got home.  
"Did you come up with anything?" he asked.  
"No more than Kaitlin's already told us," Mark said. "Did you talk to Ellen?"  
"Yeah, she called me at BBQ Bob's," Steve said. "After a week, her family is starting to drive her nuts. She can't wait to get back."  
"When's her flight?" Jesse asked.  
"Monday night."  
"Ellen is Steve's fiancé," Jesse explained.  
"Do you mean Ellen Sharp, the reporter who uncovered the Earthonomist leader, Robert Stafford, the murderer?" Kaitlin asked. "I read all about it in a national paper."  
"Yes, that's her," Mark said with a laugh. Kaitlin went back to her letter, but yawned before she had read two words.  
"It's eleven o'clock. Maybe you guys should give it a rest for the night," Steve suggested.  
"That's a good idea. Let's meet at the hospital in the morning," Mark said, gathering the letters together for Kaitlin.  
"Thank you for your help, Dr. Sloan. I really appreciate it," she said, kissing the doctor on the cheek. Jesse got his keys and drove her home.  
  
Kaitlin did not show up at Community General the next morning. During his break, Jesse went to her apartment check on her, but no one answered the bell. After knocking a couple of times, Jesse tried the doorknob, and it was unlocked.  
"Kaitlin?" he called, stepping out of the hallway. She met him in the doorway, tears in her eyes.  
"Jesse, this is my aunt. She flew in to tell me," she began, but her voice broke, "My mom died. But she knows who my father is." Jesse's breath stuck in his throat. He was standing face to face with Susan Hilliard, his ex-girlfriend, who had run away to Oregon.  
"Jesse," she said quietly. Susan looked at her niece, Jesse looked at Susan, and Kaitlin looked at the floor.  
"So I'm your aunt's ex-boyfriend. And one of my friends is your father." Jesse said to fill the awkward silence.  
"My sister, Jenny, is seven years older than me. When I was in high school, she moved to Wisconsin. I found out a few months later that she was pregnant. I knew Kaitlin very well because I visited her and Jenny a lot when she was a little girl.  
"Anyway, I became a nurse, and I was happy here at Community General. And I was really in love with you, Jesse. But I was talking to my sister one day, and that's when I found out who Kaitlin's father is. Jenny didn't mean to tell me, it just kind of slipped."  
"I still don't understand why you left," Jesse said, not trying to disguise the hurt in his voice. "I just couldn't deal with the secret," Susan explained, "I knew that eventually I would end up telling Steve if I stayed here. So for my sister's sake, I went to Oregon."  
"Steve?" Jesse asked.  
"Yes," Susan answered, "Steve is her father. I don't know if he even knew my sister was pregnant. She just left town one day. I figured that she was running from something, especially when she changed her last name from Hilliard to Everling.  
"Jenny's car was hit by a bus yesterday and she was killed instantly," Susan said, her eyes tearing. "I promised her once that if anything ever happened to her I would watch over Kaitlin. And that's what I'm doing. I think right now, she needs the love of her father." 


	3. Father and Daughter

Disclaimer- I do not own the characters of Jesse Travis, Mark Sloan, Amanda Bentley, Steve Sloan, or any other character that may appear on the CBS television series, Diagnosis Murder. Teresa Chingas is a character created by Lee Goldberg of his Diagnosis Murder books, which I highly recommend. Kaitlin Everling, Jenny Everling, and Frank Krumble were made up entirely by me. Also, because I have only been in L.A. for two layovers in LAX, I have no clue whether or not there is a restaurant in Malibu called Kramer's. I just needed a name, and Seinfeld happened to be on.  
  
Back From The Past  
  
Chapter 3- Father and Daughter  
  
Susan stayed to comfort her niece, but Jesse went to find Mark. With all this new information swimming around in his head, Jesse needed to talk to someone. Mark listened carefully, and reflected that they had to tell Steve. Mark rode over with Jesse to Kaitlin's apartment, and they decided that Susan should be the one to tell Steve.  
She drove Jesse's car over to BBQ Bob's where Steve was working that night. She calmly told Steve the story that she had previously told Jesse.  
"Steve," she said gently, "Kaitlin is your daughter." Steve took the news well, as if it were a relief.  
"What about her mother?" he asked after a few minutes.  
"Jenny died yesterday," Susan said, choking on a sob. Steve handed her a napkin and waited for her to calm down. "She wanted me to do what was best for Kaitlin. I felt that it meant telling you and her the truth."  
"I don't understand. Jenny didn't tell me that she was pregnant. She just disappeared. I did look for her, but I couldn't find her."  
"She changed her last name. I think that she was just scared, and she panicked. I don't think she meant to hurt you, Steve," Susan said quietly. Steve didn't look up. He was staring at a picture near the cash register. Susan leaned over the counter and looked at the photograph.  
"This is my fiancée, Ellen Sharp," Steve said quietly. "She's visiting her family in Oklahoma."  
"Steve, if she really loves you, she'll forgive you," Susan said.  
"Susan, I hate to ask you this now, but can you take over here for a little while?" Susan smiled and took the apron from Steve. "You still remember how everything goes?"  
"As long as there aren't any more internet-psycho killers out to screw up Amanda's credit cards and I don't have to shred them," she said, smiling, tremblingly after so much crying. She put her hand on his arm. "Good luck, Steve."  
  
Half an hour later, Steve arrived at Kaitlin's apartment. He stood nervously in front of the door, trying to work up the courage to ring the bell. Before he did, the door opened, and Kaitlin stepped into her father's arms. And Steve, not knowing what to do or say, just held his daughter.  
Steve took Kaitlin back to BBQ Bob's, and they sat at a small table together, filling each other in on what they had missed. Steve listened to the girl talk about her first days of school, lost teeth, Christmases, birthdays, first dates, and even graduation. He told her about his life as a homicide detective, constantly watching over her grandfather as he meddled in his cases.  
During the course of the evening, Kaitlin had made a decision. 


	4. Mark's Happy Family

Disclaimer- I do not own the characters of Jesse Travis, Mark Sloan, Amanda Bentley, Steve Sloan, or any other character that may appear on the CBS television series, Diagnosis Murder. Teresa Chingas is a character created by Lee Goldberg of his Diagnosis Murder books, which I highly recommend. Kaitlin Everling, Jenny Everling, and Frank Krumble were made up entirely by me. Also, because I have only been in L.A. for two layovers in LAX, I have no clue whether or not there is a restaurant in Malibu called Kramer's. I just needed a name, and Seinfeld happened to be on.  
  
Back From The Past  
  
Chapter 4- Mark's Happy Family  
  
"Just a minute," Jesse mumbled, stumbling out of his bed. He occasionally thought about disabling the doorbell, because it woke him up too often. He put on a robe, and answered the door. Kaitlin was there.  
"Hi, Jesse, I'm sorry if I woke you up. I need to talk, and it's personal. May I come in? I won't keep you long," she said. Jesse let her in, and poured her some coffee. As they sat at his counter, sipping coffee, Kaitlin began to speak.  
"Jesse, I think that given all the things that have happened lately, I just don't think I'm ready for a relationship like this."  
"Is this because of your father?" Jesse asked with a smile.  
"No, this has nothing to do with my dad. This is me. Besides, I saw how you were looking at my aunt. Dr. Sloan told me that you were really close to her once."  
"That was a while ago," Jesse retorted.  
"Maybe it was something that is worth reviving," Kaitlin argued. 'Jesse, you will always have a special place in my heart. You brought me to my family, even if neither of us knew it."  
  
Mark Sloan stood with Amanda in the hospital lobby, filling her in on all the happenings of the day before, when Steve walked down the hall with his fiancé on one side, and his daughter on the other. Behind them, Jesse and Susan were reminiscing about the Sweeny bombings and the tragedies that occurred each time they tried to take a trip to Carmel. Mark looked around the circle of people, and every one of them was smiling. And that was just the way he liked it. 


End file.
